In a recruiting process that lasted just two weeks in late January and early February, Brown heard from LSU, Tennessee, Baylor and Washington State. The quarterback had taken a risk in announcing he was leaving Hawaii, where he was a two-year starter, as a graduate transfer. He hoped schools would notice him.

For a kid who had zero Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers coming out of high school and one offer after a year of junior college, the response felt validating. But Brown could not have dreamed up a better situation than the one he found.

“There’s probably no school that’s a better fit for me,” Brown told The Athletic, “with the people they have over there, the offense they run, the culture they have, the amount of talent they have. I think if I could handpick a team that I’d love to play for and a coach I’d love to play for, it’s Oklahoma State.”

The Cowboys found a contender...

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